Next to Jesus, St. Peter takes center stage in both readings from Mass today. In the Acts of the Apostles, he is involved in two incredible miracles, including the raising of a young woman from death.
It is Peter who speaks for all the apostles in the Gospel when he says to Jesus: “We have come to believe, and are convinced, that you are the Holy One of God.” However, I would like to focus our attention on what is between John’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. I would like to focus on the Responsorial Psalm.
Psalm 116 asks the question: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all God has done for me?” God, after all, has given us life and breath, faith and hope. Through baptism, we believe that we have become new creations in the Lord, that we are now daughters and sons of the Most High. How can we make a return for such inestimable gifts of grace? Psalm 116 has the answer: “The cup of salvation I will take up and I will call upon the name of the Lord.”
“The cup of salvation” is a direct reference to Holy Communion. We offer to God the Father the perfect sacrifice of his Son every time we attend Mass. We offer ourselves and all that we have as we “call upon the name of the Lord.” In other words, God wants us to ask. God wants to shower us with gifts. That is what gives God pleasure. Jesus tells us in Mt. 7:7: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Our response to God’s gifts is to ask for more!
Jesus does not speak much about prayer of thanksgiving or praise and adoration – or even contrition. The Lord Jesus tells us that our best response to God’s love is prayer of petition. So we should keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Asking helps us realize that God is in control, we are not. In any prayer we say, God always takes the initiative. God begins the prayer in us. St. Paul says in Romans 8 (v. 26b): “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”
How do we make a return for all that God has given us? By recognizing our radical dependance upon God. By lifting up the cup of salvation we are saying: “I believe. I have faith. I have a relationship with God.” So, the lesson for us as we continue meditating on our response to God’s love is to keep praying. Be persistent in prayer. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.
Easter Blessings,
Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R
POWERED BY BLUBRRY
